How the Color of your Walls Affects your Mood

There are many things in your life that affect or even change your mood. Your child’s laughter, the pile of bills on your counter, chocolate, and even the color of your walls. Yes, you read that right; the color of your walls can have an effect on your overall mood.

Image Credit: Doug Waldron

There are many things in your life that affect or even change your mood. Your child’s laughter, the pile of bills on your counter, chocolate, and even the color of your walls. Yes, you read that right; the color of your walls can have an effect on your overall mood. It is believed that certain colors give off a certain psychological feeling and even trigger certain parts of the brain and release hormones in turn, making you feel comfortable, warm, or even energetic. Remember that boring lesson on warm and cool colors in art class? Well it really wasn’t completely useless after all. Those colors give off different psychological feelings of warmth and coolness that could affect how you’re feeling throughout the day and an understanding of these colors can help you with decorating your home.

Don’t believe me yet? Try relaxing in a bright colored room. Or, how about going to a doctor’s office where the walls are all painted bright red? There are reasons why doctor’s offices, dentist’s offices, etc. are usually painted in neutral colors or even plain white. Not only to give off the feel of being sanitary, but it is way more relaxing sitting in a chair surrounded by white, neutral walls rather than the color of blood. Yikes!

If you are starting to believe me now, and want to create a certain feeling in your own home the next time you decide to redecorate, here is a list of some of the main colors and how they can affect your psychological well being! (If you’re anything like me, I would have no problem changing the color of my walls to calm down my family!) Always keep in mind, what one person finds calming may not have the same affect on someone else. It is best to go with what makes you feel good but this list can help you get a good start!

Red is the color of excitement and energy. This color tends to work better in rooms or areas of that house that invite people to start conversations, sit and chat, and that are usually used for social gatherings. The color red has been found to raise blood pressure, which is the perfect ingredient for this excitement and energy. This color would work best in the living room or dining room area; an area where you want family and friends to get together and enjoy each other ‘s company. A shade of red can definitely help create that lively atmosphere.

The color yellow reminds people of the outdoors, optimism, a nice bright day, the warm sun. (There goes that warm color lesson again!) Using the color yellow in a room helps to lift the spirits of the people sitting in it. It gives off the feeling of energy, happiness, and joy. This color is perfect for any kitchen, dining room or bathroom. The color yellow is believed to stimulate the nervous system and purify the body. But watch out! Yellow is also believed to make people anxious, irritable and cause babies to cry. When using yellow, it may be best not to use it in large rooms or the main color theme of that room. It helps to create an exciting energy but too much is not good either!

Green is a very soothing and calming color. It is often related to a pleased feeling and can be a stress reducer. It is known to be a restful color of the eye which goes with that calming feeling. This color would be good in all sorts of rooms in your house. It could work well in your kitchen, your living room, or even a bedroom. Whatever room you want to be comfortable and wind down in, this is your color! Be aware though, too much green could also cause lack of inventiveness and promote laziness.

Blue is another calming color and tends to be very popular in décor choice. The color blue is known to promote a relaxing sleep and the feeling of relaxation. It promotes creative and imaginative thinking. This is a great color for a child’s bedroom (help to calm them and get a good sleep) or any bedroom for that matter. Like the color yellow, blue should be used moderately throughout a home because too much of this color can create too much of a calming feeling which can turn into pessimism and sad feelings. Any color should be used in moderation, and this color is no exception!

Violet is a color that is not widely used throughout a home. It is a fairly popular color in the adolescent world. Interestingly enough, the color violet is known to arouse the part of our brains that deal with solving problems. It encourages a person’s artistic capability and creativity which makes it a great color of a child’s bedroom (a place where they may do their homework), a study, or den. Certain shades of violet can send of vibes of sophistication and richness, and hey, who couldn’t use that every once and while!

Like anything else we come across in life, it is always important to make ourselves happy and choose what makes us feel good. What may be calming and relaxing to one person may be annoying and not so relaxing to another. Do a little research and find out what colors affect your mood in a positive way. It’s great to keep these color ideas in mind for your next home improvement activity ! Always remember to use colors in moderation, don’t over do it with any one color (many of these colors can be incorporated together or as accent walls), and try to create the perfect, comfortable or exciting, living space for you and your family.

2 Comments on How the Color of your Walls Affects your Mood

So true. Years ago, my bedroom was a very pale ice blue and I hated it. It always made the room feel cold and uncomfortable. We repainted to a warmer color and it made the room very cheery and more inviting!